Background
Shitou was born in Shaki, in the Oyo region of Nigeria in 1933.
Shitou was born in Shaki, in the Oyo region of Nigeria in 1933.
Shitou is best known for his reworking of traditional Nigerian Ibeji art In traditional Ibeji photography, photographs are doubled in order to fulfill the need for ritual figures used in the cult. Marilyn Houlberg writes: "A recent development in Ila-orangun, Ibomina, is the use of photographs to represent deceased twins.
The use of the photograph as an active link with the spirit world is unprecedented in the history of photography as far as I know." Shitou"s photographs utilize the traditional photographic overlay and portraiture techniques developed by the Yoruba.
Use props along the axis, arrange the sitters, think of triangular or rectangular compositions." In addition to using portrait techniques, Shitou chose subjects who would initially be seen as doubles or twins through their dress, poses, and attitudes, but upon closer inspection, would be revealed as separate people. Shitou worked with 6x6 cameras (Yashika) and a DSRL for color.
Shitou"s photographs were purchased by the Sokkelund Museum of Copenhagen and private collectors. Additionally, his work was exhibited at Photography Encounters in Bamako in 2001, at the Indiana University Art Museum in April 2007, and the Chronicles Nomads of Honfleur in May 2007.
His work has also been exhibited the gallery of Pierre Malbec (Isle sur la Sorgue) in July and August 2007, at the Dettinger-Meyer Gallery (Lyon) in September and October 2007, Municipal Library of Lyon in December 2008 and January 2009, and in the African Museum of Lyon from February to May 2012.